Medford City Council halts $43,500 emergency request for heat at Police Department

Tuesday

Mar 18, 2014 at 11:35 AMMar 18, 2014 at 11:35 AM

By Alex Ruppenthalaruppenthal@wickedlocal.com

Medford Police Chief Leo A. Sacco Jr. asked for heat last week ó and got it. But not the way he expected.The chief and city officials were before the Medford City Council March 11, with an emergency request of $43,500 to purchase two new heating units for the Police Departmentís academy building.The hour-long debate about whether or not to grant the request was immediately halted by Councilor Michael Marks, who invoked Section 22, a procedure under state law that effectively shuts down any discussion on an issue until a governmental bodyís next session.The council is able to revisit the request at its meeting tonight, March 18.Funding was to go towards purchasing two new heating units to replace antiquated units on the roof of the academy that are rusting and pose a risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.The units have been faltering for years, but were recently shut down as rusting worsened, leaving the entire building without heat.Sacco said firing up the heaters would have exposed the building to carbon monoxide. The department currently uses space heaters throughout both the academy and main station buildings to make up for lacking or dysfunctional heaters."Even if weíre in the building for three more years, it needs to be done," Sacco said. "It just needs to be done."Councilors, however, indicated they would vote against the measure in order to make a statement for a new police station to Mayor Michael J. McGlynn. The mayor has stated the city may be looking at a new station, but not for approximately seven more years.Emergency statusThe call for new units came following a visit to the station by Building Commissioner Paul Mochi, who learned March 4 of the lack of heat at the academy.Mochi spoke with a contractor who said the rusting units could not be repaired because of the risk of carbon monoxide release and poisoning from exposure to severe weather that had caused holes in the units.The city then applied for and soon received an emergency waiver from the stateís Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to forego the bidding process for two new heating units.With the councilís approval, Mochi said new units could have been in place in less than two weeks.The request also included funding for a new heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC) system for an evidence room in the main police station."The room stinks of marijuana," Sacco said. "Itís overpowering. We have a person working in there. Itís not a healthy condition."City Chief Procurement Officer Louise Miller said the waiver would allow the city to save money on the purchases because the city wouldnít have to use bonds for them, which come with additional costs.But several councilors indicated they would vote either against the request or not vote on it at all."We just went through three, four months of a tough winter, where those officers froze in there, and now we want to do new heaters in March?" Marks said. "It just doesnít make any sense to me. I will not vote on a nickel until I find out what was spent over the last two years on that building."Councilors Robert Penta and Breanna Lungo-Koehn joined Marks in voting to table the item until the council receives a copy of a report on the status of the station released last year by the cityís architectural consultant, Donham & Sweeney.The vote went 4-3, keeping the item on the floor.Councilor Fred Dello Russo Jr. then motioned to approve the request, but Marks invoked Section 22 before a vote was called."These are just minor repairs to a building that needs to be torn down," Marks said. "Thatís what it boils down to. Iím not going to vote for this tonight."Sacco, though, said the proposed changes were badly needed and the department uses the academy building more than it used to, holding roll call there for all three shifts, in addition to classes and programs that draw officers from other police departments. He said officers often leave their coats on the entire time they are in the building."We appreciate the City Councilís support for a new facility and for doing what needs to be done," he said. "But I assure you, I would not be coming to you with Band Aid fixes that would probably outweigh the cost of a new facilityÖIt will happen at some point. But in the meantime, we have to operate within the structure weíre in."Need to see studySacco said McGlynn has indicated to him the city would wait until some of its current bonds are paid off to build a new police station, with a timeframe of five to seven years. The council, however, has made the building of a new station its top priority this year."I donít know what itís going to take to get the mayor to act," Marks said, "but if he thinks weíre going to sit back another five to seven years, he better have his head checked because thatís not going to happen."Lungo-Koehn said until the council reviews the Donham & Sweeney report, she wouldnít be able to vote on issues concerning the station."For the council to make educated decisions on the status of the police station, we should have all the resources in front of us," she said. "We never got the results. The administration just has not given us the results. Weíre never going to get this study unless four councilors stick together and we get a copy of it."McGlynn, however, said a copy is coming."They know theyíre going to get the full report," he said. "They know that weíve identified some items weíre going to do."McGlynn went on to say the city should wait until itís done paying off other big bonds before jumping into a new station."If you overburden that ability, that will hurt your bond rating," he said. "When you hurt your rating, that means the taxpayers pay more on these improvements."Ready to voteOther councilors, meanwhile, seemed ready to approve last weekís request.Dello Russo said while he thinks the Police Department deserves a new station, he had the sense building one now wouldnít be a wise financial decision for the city. But, he added, itís the employees who are suffering in the meantime."I donít want to hold the Police Department hostage in a way by not expending this money and perpetuating a poor work environment for these people," Dello Russo said.Councilor Adam Knight said he opposed any delay in voting on the request."Vote it up or vote it down, but I donít think public safety is a forum to be used to make symbolic gestures," he said.Sacco, who was called up to the podium again and again to answer the councilís questions, said though he wants a new station, getting the new heaters would be a highly welcomed improvement."The second floor hasnít had heat in that building in 10 years," he told the council. "So this is a big step forward. Itís something thatís a necessity. And again, I assure you, I will not be coming here nickel-and-diming for repairs."